ADDICTED BEYOND CONTROL
by yogam65
Summary: Max is captured by KAOS to be tested with a new street drug but ends up addicted to it
1. Default Chapter

Max moved restlessly around the motel room. He paced from one end to the other like a caged animal plotting his escape. He gave a pensive look at the small white capsule in his hand. He didn't want to take it. Not tonight, not ever. He was not looking forward to the rest of the night, as he struggled with what he should do. He started breathing hard and broke into a cold sweat. Sitting back into the chair, he looked intently at the phone. He needed help and 99 was the only one he could trust. He slowly reached out to it, and dialed with the little strength he had.  
  
"99," Max whispered weakly into the phone.  
  
"Max, where are you? Please tell me where you are."  
  
"99, ... I need ... help," Max fought to get his message out.  
  
"I know you do. I want to help you, Max. Please, just tell me where I can find you."  
  
"99, I'm..."  
  
Suddenly, Max's body seized with pain. He dropped the phone and clutched his stomach in agony as a searing twinge ripped through his body. With the pain blocking all rational thought, he wrestled with it until it was too much for him to take. He fell out of the chair, and hit the floor with a hard thud.  
  
99 could hear him moan in anguish. "Max, what's happening? Max, please talk to me. Max? Can you hear me?"  
  
Max could not concentrate on anything but his pain. 99 needed to act quickly, so she called the switchboard. "This is Agent 99. I need my Line 1 traced, and please hurry!" 99 got back on the line, hoping Max would pick up the phone. "Max? Are you there?"  
  
Max felt himself weakening. He was a tough man under most circumstances, but this was more than he'd bargained for. He lay on the dirty rug of the motel room in agony, clenching the white pill in one fist, and clawing at the filthy carpet threads with the other. How much more could he take? Max wasn't about to find out, as he realized that he was slowly losing out to the pain. He brought his fist up to his lips, and pushed the pill into his mouth. He licked the sweat off of his lips to help get it down, as he could barely swallow. Now all he could do was wait ... 


	2. chapter 2

6 days earlier....  
  
The doctor opened the small metal box, inside was a white powdery substance.  
  
"Phencyclidine or PCP" the doctor said, as he held the box in front of Clause Muller, KAOS's top agent and assassin. "It was developed in the 1950s as an intravenous anesthetic but, due to the side effects of confusion and delirium, its development for human medical use was discontinued in 1965. In its pure form, it is a white crystalline powder that readily dissolves in water or alcohol. It is relatively cheap to produce and we believe it could be a very addictive street drug. On the illicit drug market, KAOS will make a fortune with this drug."  
  
"This is exactly what KAOS needs to finance their operations," Muller nodded. "But tell me, doc, have you tested it yet?"  
  
"Up to this point, we have only tested on lab rats. What we needed was a human subject ... and that's where your prisoner, CONTROL agent 86, comes in."  
  
"I see. Now I understand why you wouldn't let us kill him."  
  
The doctor nodded to the guard and the man quickly disappeared behind the door. Moments later, two burly KAOS agents dragged a kicking and struggling Max into the small room.  
  
"Get his shirt off," the doctor told the one agent.  
  
  
  
"What are you planing to do to me?" Max asked, apprehensively.  
  
The one agent grabbed the front of his shirt and violently ripped it off. Max was then forced back into the chair. His arms were clamped to the arms of the chair with leather bands, and his legs were pulled close to the chair legs with the same type of bands. There was also one across his chest. Several electrodes were placed on his chest to monitor his heart and pulse rate.  
  
"Mr. Smart, we are ready to begin ...," the doctor said, as he prepared the needle.  
  
Max began to panic. "Now wait one minute! What are you going to do?"  
  
The doctor held the needle in front of Max's face, causing Max's heart rate to accelerate.  
  
"What is that stuff?" he anxiously inquired.  
  
The doctor paid no attention to his question and proceeded. Max winced as the doctor slowly inserted the needle into his left arm. Max watched with great horror and anticipation, as the brown-tinted liquid disappeared from the syringe into his vain.  
  
"Momentarily, you will feel a burning sensation in  
  
your left arm, as the drug enters your vein." Max felt tears stinging his eyes as the burning sensation began. The needle was removed and the doctor took a step back to observe his'patient'.  
  
Not knowing what kind of poison was pumped into his system, Max tried to fight out of the restraints  
  
"Mr. Smart, don't struggle. Just relax and let the drug take effect."  
  
But Max had no intentions of relaxing, so he continued to twist and thrash. Within 2 min, Max's reflexes started to slow as he sat stiffly upright, eyes wide, and sweat collecting in beads on his face.  
  
"Mr. Smart?" the doctor softly called out.  
  
Max rigidly looked toward him, eyes wild with no emotion in them. His bodily feelings were so distorted that he began to panic.  
  
"What have you done to me? Let me out of here," Max slurred. Suddenly Max tried to get up but the restraints kept him in place. As hard as he strained he couldn't budge from the chair. With a more pronounced rise in blood pressure and pulse rate, Max began to get the feeling of floating on a cloud, totally detached from everyone and the universe. Everything looked larger and smaller at the same time, and his entire body was numb. He was too stoned to care what was going on. The loud sounds, voices, rough touches, all played a backdrop to his world of hazy spinning walls and pleasant euphoria. At first he could barely tell what was real and what was part of the drug-induced fantasy in his head. Max began to feel as if he knew everything that was going on but none of it mattered.  
  
The drug was in full effect now. The doctors walked over to Max. "Mr. Smart? How are you feeling?" The voice penetrated the fog of his mind, and Max stared at him. The voice repeated in slow motion, "Mr. Smart, how do you feel?"  
  
Max opened his mouth and tried to speak but nothing came out.  
  
Muller walked over to Max and looked closely at him. "Doc, what's happening to him?"  
  
"The drug usually takes effect after 2-3 minutes, if injected. As you can see, Mr. Smart is in a state of complete drug-induced intoxication.  
  
Muller gave a wicked smile, "Excellent."  
  
"A moderate amount of PCP often causes users to feel detached, distant, and estranged from their surroundings. Numbness of the extremities, slurred speech, loss of coordination, blank stares, and rapid and involuntary eye movements are among the more observable effects." The doctor said as he noted each of Max's actions "You might be interested in knowing that another effect of the drug is the person's ability to withstand pain. Feelings of strength, power, and invulnerability overcome the user.  
  
"Interesting, doctor. Can we see an example?"  
  
The doctor walked over to the agent, "May I?" The doctor motioned to him for his lit cigarette. Handing it over, the doctor ground the lit end of the cigarette into Max's chest. The KAOS agent winced at this sudden display of barbarity, while Max did not respond to what should have been an extremely painful experience.  
  
"As you can see sensation is dissociated. Some people lose track of their bodies and do not feel pain," the doctor continued.  
  
"Fantastic," remarked the agent. A sadistic streak came over him. "He feels no pain, huh?"  
  
The doctor looked at him suspiciously. "Yes, the drug blocks out certain nerve endings in the brain."  
  
Muller removed his gun from his holster and grabbed the barrel tightly. He took careful aim, and slammed it down on top of Max's pinky finger. Max's body jolted forward but had yet to yell out in pain. Eyes half open and surroundings diffused, Max was unaffected by the brutal action of the agent. Max's finger instantly began to swell and turn purple.  
  
The doctor chastised the agent for such primitive savagery.  
  
"If you don't mind, we will be the ones conducting the tests on him" "Look, doc, he's my prisoner and I'll do what I want," the agent growled at him.  
  
"Knowing the violent nature of Muller, the doctor quickly changes direction, "I think he's had enough today. We shall continue with the experiment in the morning."  
  
The two burly KAOS agents untied and hoisted Max out of the chair, dragging him out the door.  
  
"We will up his dosage tomorrow to see what kind of reaction we get."  
  
"Very good, doc. How much longer before we can start pushing this stuff?"  
  
"A few more days should tell us what we need to know."  
  
Max was dropped inside his cell on the floor and left to fend for himself. After 2 hours, the drug's effectiveness started to subside. He still felt spaced out and extremely tired, but the numbness was subsiding also. His finger began to pound with a dull, throbbing pain. The same pain beat at his temples and into his brain, which was suddenly deprived of the pleasure stimulant that had flooded it for the last couple of hours. He was exhausted and wanted to sleep. Gathering whatever strength he could muster, Max crawled up onto the dirty cot and collapsed.  
  
To be continued 


	3. chapter 3

The next morning Max was still stretched out on thecot in his cell. He didn't know how long it had been since the guards had brought him back, nearly unconscious, to the dark room. He had remained there, trying with limited success to withdraw his mind from the pain that his body felt. Until he could do that, Max knew that he would be unable to concentrate on devising a plan for escape. The ache in his head was dreadful, and his eyes did not seem to want to work together. Nevertheless, Max began to try and figure out how he was going to get out of this one. He didn't see many options. Slowly, he leaned his aching head forward to rest it on his bent knees. It looked like he was just going to have to wait and see what KAOS had in store for him.  
  
...................................  
  
Back at CONTROL, 99 entered the chief's office to find him on the phone. His face was red and irritated --- no doubt from all of the strain he was putting on it. She could see the anger building in him.  
  
"I want all available men to search that area, and I want that informer found!" the Chief said sternly, as he slammed down the phone. "We have access to finding anyone in the world and yet in our own city we can't locate that informer."  
  
The Chief was obviously frustrated as he looked up to see 99 standing next to his desk; she looked tired and worried. "Still no word, Chief?" The Chief only shook his head. He knew 99 was apprehensive about Max, and not hearing from him for the last two days since his meeting with the informer, caused him to think that Max ran into foul play.  
  
"I should have sent a backup with Max. I should have never let him go alone to check out that tip we got about the KAOS drug lab."  
  
99 sat next to the chief and placed her hand on top of his.  
  
"We have to believe he's ok and just held up someplace, and that he can't call."  
  
The Chief wanted to believe 99. In her mind, she wouldn't accept the fact that Max could be dead.  
  
"I have every available man on this case, 99," the chief consoled, as he patted her hand. "We'll find him."  
  
The Chief got up and walked over to a map of the city.  
  
"We got the call from the informer that KAOS had a drug lab set up in this part of the city," the chief said as he pointed to the area of the map. "It's heavily populated with industry, so it could take weeks for us to check every building. The last call from Max was traced to this area here, but before we could pin point exactly where, we lost the connection. This lab, wherever it is, is well- hidden, possibly underground. Our only hope is to locate that informer again; the word is out on the street. Now the toughest thing to do is wait." 99's thoughts were far away, wondering what was happening to Max. She couldn't bear to think of him being tortured and in pain. She closed her eyes to try and erase those thoughts from her mind.  
  
.........................................  
  
Max found himself jolted awake when harsh hands seized his arms. The two KAOS agents holding Max dragged him to his feet.  
  
Max felt the fear begin to crawl back into his body. He clenched his fists inadvertently and drew in an unsteady breath. He was brought into the same room as yesterday, but this time a pair of wrist shackles suspended from the ceiling -- not a chair -- was going to be used to secure him.  
  
Raising Max's arms, the two KAOS agents transferred his wrists into the set of suspended shackles. Muller walked in and stood in front of Max. He grasp Max's chin and forced his head up.  
  
"If it were up to me, you would have been dead long ago, Agent 86. But the doc needs a guinea pig for this drug, and that's you."  
  
With a powerful blow, Muller's fist connected with the side of Max's face. A thin trickle of blood ran down his chin and neck from where his lip had split. Max's vision clouded, and he groaned involuntarily. The only things holding him up were the chains. The doctors stepped in just in time to stop Muller from hitting Max again.  
  
"Out! All of you!" the one doctor yelled. "I'm warning you, Muller. If you interfere once more, I will be forced to contact the head of KAOS. I don't think they'd be pleased to hear that the drug's release has been pushed back due to technical difficulties caused by you."  
  
Muller let go of Max's chin and stepped back.  
  
"Alright, alright, I get the message. Just having some fun, that's all," Muller nodded to his guards and they left the room.  
  
Max groggily tried to get his barring. He saw the doctor with another needle, getting ready to inject him again with the foul brown-tinted drug. Max twisted his body away from the doctor, "Please, no... don't... the pain...," Max moaned.  
  
"But Mr. Smart, this will take away the pain," the doctor said, as he began to inject the needle into Max's vein.  
  
This time the dosage was increased and within a minute the drug took effect. Max's blood pressure, pulse rate and respiration suddenly dropped. Max's body jerked involuntarily with repeated convulsions. The doctor quickly reacted by lowering the shackles, causing Max to drop to the floor. The two doctors held Max down as he thrashed about incoherently. Within another two minutes, he finally stopped, and Max lay on the floor with a blank stare, and rapid and involuntary eye movements. When he tried to speak, his speech was sparse and garbled. The doctors noted that the amount they had administered to Max was too much.  
  
Two hours had passed since Max's initial injection, and his senses of touch and pain were now dulled, and his body movements slowed. The doctor now felt that Max was stable enough, so he continued on with the experiment. Again, the shackles raised Max up. His back exposed, the doctor took a bamboo cane from the table and whipped it across his back. Max ceased to yell out in pain, as a red welt raised quickly over the spot of contact. Once more the cane slashed across his back, and still no response. After a few more smacks with the cane, the doctors were satisfied that Max was impervious to pain on that dosage. Feeling in a dreamlike state, Max was extremely dissociated. His visual perspective was *fast*. As he watched the doctors move across the room, they seemed to be moving faster than the speed of light. Any stress was temporarily dismantled. As far as Max was concerned, they could kill him now --- he didn't care. Max was enveloped in a world of warmth, of security, and of freedom. It was the most intense nothingness Max had ever experienced.  
  
To be continued 


	4. chapter 4

After the day's harrowing experiments, a bruised and battered Max was led back to his prison cell and shoved inside. Not able to keep his balance, Max dropped to his knees then fell over in a heap on the cold cell floor. Max was panting from the pain, which was cutting through his drug haze. Unfortunately, he was fighting a losing battle for consciousness.  
  
***********************************  
  
It became the third day of Max's ordeal. Opening his swollen, bloodshot eyes, the first thing he was aware of was lying on his back against a hard surface, staring up at a grayish ceiling. He raised up from the floor, for a start, and shivers wracked his body. Feelings of fearfulness and anxiety developed as he took in his surroundings. He continued to shiver. It was then he noticed that his entire body was in fact soaked in perspiration. He slowly crawled back up to the cot, pausing on the edge for a moment, holding his face in his hands. Max didn't know how much more could he take. A flashback of the needle being inserted into his arm and other distorted images flooded his thought process. Max took in a gasp of air and jolted upright. He exhailed slowly and wiped the sweat from his forehead, trying to shake the cobwebs out of his head. Reality seemed to come and go, with the bobbing of his head, forward and backward. For extended moments at a time, he was finally able to focus more clearly. His body ached not only from the abuse it was given, but also from everything that the drug was doing to him. He needed his fix and tried to think of anything to keep his mind away from the onset of his craving. He thought of 99. He pictured her caring, intense eyes, and the way they always looked deep inside him. He imagined her there with him, stroking her dark brown hair at the side of her face. If only she was really there, comforting him. He'd tell her how much he loved her and wanted her in his life. He wondered if he'd ever get the chance to tell her that. Max curled up on the cot as his body shook with need. He wished they'd come with another injection. He needed it so badly.  
  
For the third day in a row, Max was given the drug, each time at a slightly higher dose. He welcomed the injection and didn't fight it, sighing in relief as the doctor acquiescently injected the PCP into his bloodstream. It was instantaneous. He felt the rush of cool relaxation travel throughout his body and felt the immediate relief as it flowed through his veins. At that moment, he could think of nothing but the incredible feeling of comfort that he was experiencing. The drug was in full effect now. A slow smile crept across his face. He could finally relax. The slow buzzing was strong now, as he felt warm and calm. The next few minutes went in slow motion. Or, were they hours? He couldn't tell anymore. Over the next couple of hours, whatever was being done to him, he took no mind. But suddenly a change came over Max; his calm demeanor changed to one of paranoia and violent hostility. An immediate surge of superhuman strength overtook Max. Struggling violently in the chair, Max loosened one of the leather straps on his wrist. When the doctor came over to restrain him, Max backhanded the doctor, which caused him to fall backward into the table.  
  
"Guards! I need help!" yelled the doctor.  
  
As the guards rushed through the door, Max had already tore off the other strap, got up and threw the chair at the incoming guards. Anger and rage engulfed Max as he threw himself into the fight. With his skill as a martial arts expert, he was that much more deadly an adversary, and managed to kill one of the KAOS agents before something struck him on the side of the head. He groaned and slumped to the ground, unconscious.  
  
The doctor stood over Max with a metal pipe in his hand. Muller ran into the room. Seeing one of his men dead, he quickly took his gun out of his holster and pointed it at the unconscious Max.  
  
The doctor grabbed at Muller's arm as the gun discharged, missing Max by inches.  
  
"What did you do that for? screamed Muller. "I've had enough of this, Doc. He killed one of my men. Experiments or no experiments, he's a dead man," Muller proclaimed, as he pointed the gun once again at Max.  
  
The doctor again grabbed at Muller's arm, "Wait, I just need tomorrow for one more test. Then we'll get rid of him. I'll have all the data that KAOS will need for this drug and that will be the end of it. I'll inject a fatal overdose into him. I promise you --- it won't be pleasant."  
  
Muller thought long and hard, then placed his gun back into the holster. "You might be right. What good would shooting him now be? Alright, just till tomorrow. Then I want the pleasure of seeing him suffer, Doc."  
  
Muller and the other guard dragged Max by his legs back to his cell. Max lay unconscious and bleeding on the floor for the rest of the night.  
  
..............  
  
"MAX!" 99 yelled, as she awoke with a fright. Feelings of anxiety and fear subsided when she realized she was in her bed, alone. Her bedroom was dark, but familiar. She flipped on the light. She had just had a terrible nightmare about Max. He was hurt and crying out for her to find him. She felt helpless, not having a clue as to his whereabouts. She couldn't sleep now, even if she wanted to. It was hours before dawn, and 99 sat waiting by the phone for any word.  
  
*********************************  
  
Day four had Max wake up to a splitting headache. Slowly he got up, and winced at the pain radiating from his temple. His hand felt the area; it was caked with dried blood from the blow he received last night. Not only did his head ache, but his body again began to show signs of craving the drug. He tried to fight it, telling himself he was strong and could do without it. It was a battle he began to think he couldn't win.  
  
***********************************  
  
99 started to dose off when her phone rang abruptly. She quickly grabbed for the phone, "Did you find him?"  
  
The Chief was on the other end, "Yes, 99. We finally tracked down that informer, and he gave us the location of the lab. We're going in." "Not without me, Chief. I'll be there in 15 minutes," 99 assured him.  
  
"You'd better make it 10. If Max is alive, we can't waste a single minute."  
  
99 rushed to throw some clothes on, and quickly ran out the door.  
  
To Be Continued ... 


	5. chapter 5

On day four, Max once again got his daily injection of the drug. It brought instant relief to him and, once again, the doctor took more notes on his condition.  
  
Outside of the factory, the chief, 99 and a dozen CONTROL agents were ready to storm the complex. The Chief stood in front of his men, splitting them off to search the factory.  
  
"You five, go in that direction, you five, that direction and you two, come with agent 99 and me.  
  
Everyone parted ways and quickly moved into position.  
  
Muller walked in to see how the doctor was progressing.  
  
"Ok Doc, let's say we put an end to Mr. Smart so I can get out of here," Muller commented as he looked at his watch.  
  
The doctor wrote down the last of the notes and closed his binder. "That should about do it, except for one thing -- going through withdrawals." The doctor looked down at Max in his drugged-out stupor. "This has been a fascinating study, I must say. Too bad we need to dispose of him; I would have liked to have studied him on the withdrawal process, once the drug is no longer administered to someone that is addicted to it."  
  
"Forget it, Doc. Time's up," Muller said, as he pulled up a chair next to Max, to watch him die. "So, is this gonna be painful?"  
  
"Right now he's in a calm existence. But as soon as I inject the overdose, a feeling of fire will race through his entire nervous system, which will cause convulsions and excruciating pain. His lungs will seize, causing him to gasp for air. A feeling similar to drowning. His heart will pound with such force, it will feel as if it's going to rip through his chest. Is that painful enough for you?"  
  
Muller smiled as he sat back in the chair satisfied, "Get on with it, then."  
  
The doctor shrugged with disgust and went over to fill the syringe with a deadly dose of PCP.  
  
After checking every room in the area, the Chief and 99 spotted a door at the end of the corridor.  
  
"Let's check in there," he said.  
  
The room was dark except for a small window looking into another room.  
  
The Chief adjusted his eyes, peered through the one-way glass window in the room, and saw Max strapped down, with the doctor holding a needle in front of him.  
  
"He's in there! Quick, bust that door down!" the Chief commanded his agents.  
  
Just as the doctor was ready to insert the needle, the door burst open. CONRTOL agents were ready with their guns drawn and pointed right at Muller and the doctor.  
  
"Drop that needle!" the Chief yelled.  
  
But before the doctor could put it down, Muller grabbed it out of his hand, and quickly inserted it into Max's arm. Muller was immediately shot, dropping to the ground before administering the fatal dosage.  
  
99 rushed over to Max and gently pulled the needle from his arm. Max slowly straightened up, but his eyes didn't seem to focus on anything.  
  
"Oh God, Max," 99 whispered harshly, looking down the length of Max's body. It seemed as though he was nothing more than a mass of purple bruises, welts, and cuts on his chest and arms. "Oh Max," 99 repeated softly, still shocked at seeing him so abused. It was while 99 was uniting with him that Max woke a little, looking up at her through drug- hazed eyes.  
  
"Who isss..."he asked, the drugs slurring his speech.  
  
"It's 99, Max!" she answered, surprised once again that Max, looking as bad as he was, could speak.  
  
"99?" Max asked, trying to sift through the confusion and haze, for the name.  
  
"Yes, Max. You're safe now. Don't try to talk," 99 reassured him, as she untied the other restraint.  
  
"99," he said softly, cutting 99 short. "Sorry, 99," Max mumbled, his head falling against her shoulder "can't ... stay awake ... anymore ...," Max trailed off, finally falling into 99's open arms.  
  
Later that afternoon, 99 stared endlessly at the floor while waiting on any word about Max . The Chief sat with her in the waiting room of the CONTROL hospital. It had been about two hours since they brought Max in, when a doctor appeared from behind the door. Both 99 and the Chief jumped up from the couch. The CONTROL doctor walked in, holding the notebook that was used to document Max's condition for the last four days.  
  
"Chief, 99,'' the doctor greeted them. "... considering everything Agent 86 has been through, he's lucky to be alive." The doctor looked at his chart. "He's dehydrated, has a fractured finger, and his body has taken quite a beating. But, ... he'll heal."  
  
99 and the Chief both gave a smile of relief. The doctor continued on with his diagnosis.  
  
"But he's not out of the woods, yet," he said, opening the notebook. "This is a documented record from the KAOS doctor, while giving the PCP drug to 86 for the last four days. From what I've read, this drug is extremely dangerous and very addictive. I'm afraid his body is going to start craving it very soon. When he doesn't get it, he'll start going through withdrawals. A rather unpleasant situation to have to go through."  
  
"What can be done for him, doctor?" 99 asked with concern.  
  
"We are trying to learn as much about this drug as possible, and this notebook will help us. So, we can make him as comfortable as possible, but his body has to go through the process of ridding itself from the drug. It's gonna be a rough go for him for the next couple of days."  
  
"Can we see him?" the Chief asked.  
  
"I think that would be ok -- he's awake now. He might be a bit irritable, but given the circumstances, that's to be expected."  
  
99 and the Chief came into Max's room. Max lay quietly in the bed, staring at the ceiling. His expression was impassive. 99 looked down on him, watching for a more lively appearance on his face. He looked slightly different than the man she was used to seeing.  
  
"Max, how are you feeling?" 99 asked quietly.  
  
Max snapped out of his trance and struggled to sit up. "I'm ... doing ok," he said, wincing from the pain.  
  
"Max, we destroyed the KAOS drug lab. This drug will not hit the streets as KAOS intended. We confiscated a few samples of the stuff for research, however."  
  
This caught Max's attention, "A few samples?"  
  
They are in the CONTROL lab. We are interested in how this drug is manufactured.  
  
Max cringed as a wave of pain passed through his body. 99 quickly comforted him by holding his hand.  
  
"We should go now, so you can rest," the Chief instructed, glancing over at 99. "Chief, I'd like to stay awhile, if that's ok?" 99 pleaded.  
  
"It's ok, Chief. I'd like her to stay," Max insisted.  
  
"Alright, but not too long. I'll see you in the morning."  
  
Max and 99 talked for about an hour. Max made it look like he was focused on what 99 was saying, but his thoughts were elsewhere.  
  
As the time for Max's dose came and passed, he mostly just felt the craving for it. However, as the evening wore on, he started getting agitated. His pulse went up slightly, and he started to feel a dull ache in the muscles of his back and shoulders. His food came, and was placed in front of him. Max didn't touch it; his mind was on the CONTROL lab, and the drug samples.  
  
"Max, you have to eat to get your strength back," 99 appealed to him.  
  
"I'm not hungry, 99," Max said, as he pushed the plate away.  
  
99, being persistent, reached for the Jell-O and held it in front of him.  
  
"99, please. Not right now," Max insisted, as he pushed it away once more.  
  
"Max, I won't take 'no' for an answer," 99 said, as she spooned out some of the Jell-O to try and feed him.  
  
"I said NO!"  
  
With that, Max slapped the Jell-O cup out of her hand. It flew across the room, and into the wall. A bit surprised by his actions, 99 looked at Max, "I'm sorry, Max. I just wanted ..."  
  
"No, 99. I'm sorry. It's not your fault. It's just that ... I'm tired, and I need to rest. Maybe you should go home now; you must be tired, too, after these last couple of days. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" Max said, as he managed to squeak out a half-hearted smile.  
  
"Alright, Max. I'll see you in the morning. You call the nurse if you need anything." Max nodded as 99 squeezed his hand, then left.  
  
99 left none too soon as Max began to shake from the withdrawal. Fire was racing through his veins and behind his eyes. He had to get to the CONTROL lab to find the drug. He needed just a small amount to get him through the night, he thought. Max quietly slipped out of bed and checked out the door. The corridor was clear, and all was quiet. He went to the closet and retrieved his pants and shirt. He slipped out of his room, unnoticed, and down the corridor towards the lab. Once inside, he began to search drawers and cabinets for any sign of the drug. He remembered it to be a brownish liquid, but didn't see anything like that around the room. After checking just about every place, Max found a tall metal locker that had a padlock on it. He yanked on the lock and exhaled a sigh of desperation. Looking around, Max found a metal pipe that he could use to slip between the lock and the cabinet, to break it open. With one quick twist, the lock stayed in tact, but the metal door was tweaked. It was  
  
just enough for Max to get the pipe in and wrench the door open even more so that he could get his hand inside. Max's hand felt a small box, and pulled it out. It was the samples of the PCP drug taken from the KAOS lab. Opening the box, he found several baggies of small white capsules. Max figured that this was the form KAOS was going to sell on the street. Even though the capsules were not as fast-acting as the injection, he wasn't about to be picky. He opened one of the bags and dumped a single white capsule into his hand. Holding it for a moment, his pain overruled his judgement, and he popped it into his mouth and swallowed. He went back into the cabinet and grabbed as many bags of capsules as he could stuff into his pockets. Just as he was ready to return back to his room, a flashlight caught him in the eye.  
  
"Hold it right there! Who are you, and what are you doing in here?" asked the CONTROL security guard.  
  
Max began to panic, and tried to think of something fast.  
  
"I ... I'm agent 86. I heard a noise ... so I came to investigate."  
  
The security guard flipped on the light to find a disheveled Max standing in front of the bent metal door of the cabinet.  
  
"Is that so? ... where's your ID?"  
  
Max knew he had no ID on him, but checked as if he did have it.  
  
"I must have left it back in my office. If you'll just follow me ..."  
  
The guard got immediately suspicious and reached for his gun.  
  
"Alright, I don't know who you are, but you're in a lot of trouble, buddy." The guard pointed his gun at Max and motioned him to move. "Let's go."  
  
The drug started to kick in, and Max stopped as a wave of dizziness hit him.  
  
"I said 'let's go'," demanded the guard, as he prodded Max with his gun.  
  
Max could feel the clouds forming in his head. He blinked his eyes, and tried to shake it loose.  
  
"Don't think I won't shoot, now. I said 'lets go'!" The guard shoved his gun into Max's side.  
  
A sudden flashback brought Max back to the KAOS lab where he was slammed with images of abuse to his body by the doctor and Muller. Max blinked excessively, trying to distinguish reality from nightmare.  
  
Max turned and quickly, grabbing the gun by the barrel. A struggle between the guard and Max ensued. Max's strength was too much for the guard, as he turned the gun around and shoved it into the stomach of the guard. The gun went off and the guard slumped to the ground. Max knew he needed to get out of there fast, before more security showed up. He grabbed the gun from the floor, along with the guard's wallet. He knew he needed an ID to scan to leave the building. Max quickly and quietly made his way out of the CONTROL hospital and into the street. For more than an hour, Max wandered the streets of Washington, ducking and hiding from any kind of search parties that the Chief had put out for him. Max somehow managed to elude everyone, and made it outside of the city. Needing shelter, he came upon a rundown motel, just outside the city limits. He stumbled up to the front desk, banged on the bell, and waited until the manager came in.  
  
"Ok, ok! Stop banging on that bell. I hear you."  
  
"I need a room," Max requested.  
  
"Of course you do. Why else would you be here?"  
  
Max opened the guard's wallet and threw down forty dollars. "How many days will that buy me?" he asked.  
  
"Four days. It's ten bucks a night," the manager explained.  
  
"Give me a key," Max ordered  
  
The manager reached over and handed Max a key. "Room 19. End of the hall, on the left."  
  
Max stumbled down the hall towards the room.  
  
"No visitors after 10 p.m.," the manager yelled down to him.  
  
Max gave no response, as he lost his balance and fell against the wall.  
  
The manager shook his head. "Nothing but bums. I gotta get out of this business," he said, as he disappeared behind the curtain to his room. Max succeeded to make it to the room, and collapsed in the overstuffed armchair. He felt somewhat comforted now. At least he had a place to stay while he tried to survive his ordeal. He would spend the next two days all alone with his little white friends. Not having any idea of their potency, Max was unable to regulate the timing of his pill-popping. He would rise and fall like a rollercoaster, as he blew through the pills rather quickly. Their addictive nature would cause him to use more than he needed, and his last remaining batch sent him reeling. He was helpless to fight the effects that the pills had on him. He was now deeper under their spell than he could've imagined.  
  
To be continued ...  
  
__________________________________________________ 


	6. chapter 6

99 arrived at the motel and walked up to the desk. The manager was too busy reading to notice that someone was standing in front of him. "Excuse me, I'm...," 99 began eagerly. With his nose still buried deep in his book, the manager held his hand up to stop her from continuing her sentence. This annoyed 99 as she began again, "Look, I'd like..." For a second time the manager again held his hand up. 99 quickly reached into her purse, dug out her government ID, and shoved it on top of the book the manager was reading. The manager was not impressed; it seemed there was always some cop or government agent wanting something that involved his motel.  
  
"Alright, what can I do for you?" sighed the manager. 99 placed a picture of Max on the desk. "I want to know if this man is staying here."  
  
The manager looked closely at the picture. "Yeah, he's here. Hey look, if you're gonna shoot this guy, would you mind doin' it outside, and not in the room?"  
  
"I'm not planning on shooting anyone. Just pass over the key," 99 said impatiently.  
  
"Ok, ok. All you government people are the same -- so impatient." The manager grabbed the key off the key ring and handed it over to 99.  
  
"Room 19, end of the hall, on the left," the manager said, as he returned to his book.  
  
99 took the key and quickly made her way to the room. Coming upon Room 19, she gathered her thoughts before going in. She wasn't sure what she would find once she opened the door. He could be dead for all she knew, or drugged out of his mind and violent. Her training as a CONTROL agent would come into play now, ready for any situation. She hoped she wouldn't have to use force on the man she loved. 99 listened at the door to get an idea what was going on inside. It was silent. Not a good sign, she thought, but better than walking in on him tearing the place apart. She carefully slipped the key into the hole and turned the knob. Slowly, she opened the door to find the room semi-dark. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness as she made her way in.  
  
"99..." came a horse voice from the corner.  
  
It made her jump, as she flipped the light on. Over in an old easy chair sat Max, slumped down slightly, into the cushions. He looked tired and weak. 99 could tell he was drugged out.  
  
"Max, ... I'm glad you're..." was all 99 said before she spied the medal object in his hand. She didn't know what he was doing with it there, but it couldn't be good, So she had to act quickly. Quietly and calmly 99 spoke to him, "Max, please give me the gun. I'm here to help you."  
  
Max took the gun from its spot against his chest and looked at it. "What ... this? Max spun the chamber. "Just playing a little game. It's a childish game," he said. "Too simple, really."  
  
Max raised it to his temple with a resigned sigh. His finger twitched on the trigger.  
  
"BAM, you lose, or CLICK you win."  
  
99 started to panic. "Max, why are you doing this? You'll kill yourself."  
  
"The bullets can't harm me, 99," Max slurred. His eyes begin to flip up and back  
  
He was well into his delusion now, as the drug made him think he was super- human. Max quickly raised the gun to his temple, and pulled the trigger.  
  
"MAX!!!!!" 99 screamed.  
  
Click.  
  
99 nearly fainted and had to steady herself against a chair by Max's sudden actions.  
  
"Missed again," Max said disappointingly. "Let me try again. The bullets really do bounce off ..."  
  
99 pleaded with desperation, "Max, Max, listen to me. I believe you; you don't have to prove it. Please put the gun down."  
  
99 made a sudden move toward him in which he pointed the gun straight at her.  
  
"You can't play! It won't work on you."  
  
99 stopped dead in her tracks. "I don't want to play, Max. I don't want you to play, either," she said, as if speaking to a child.  
  
Max placed the gun again to his temple, grinned quickly to assure 99 that everything was all right, and squeezed the trigger.  
  
"OH GOD!, NO!!!!!" 99 yelled out.  
  
Click. The chamber was empty again.  
  
99 could see that Max was getting tired, and was having trouble holding the gun. She could rush him, and forcibly take it away, but she could risk getting shot in the process.  
  
"Max, I'm here to help you. The drug is only making you think the bullets won't harm you. Please Max, put ... the gun ... down," 99 begged him with all of her emotion.  
  
Max's vision was getting hazy and the gun seemed to weigh ten times heavier than before.  
  
"Just one more try ...," Max said bleakly, trying to raise the gun.  
  
Max placed the gun again to his head and brought the hammer back but the weight of the gun made him drop it to the floor.  
  
"Help ...," was all he was able to whisper before blacking out completely. 99 rushed over to Max. Placing her fingers on his neck, she found his pulse was slow but steady. Picking up the gun, she checked the chamber. The single bullet was lined up, ready to be discharged. 99 closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes started to water. She felt, in that moment, that if anything ever happened to him, she would die. She wiped at her eyes and cleared her throat. Nothing was going to happen to him. She would not allow it.  
  
To be continued.. 


	7. chapter 7

99 called the Chief to let him know that she found Max and that she was going to stick it out with him through the next couple days of his withdrawals. It would take a couple days for the drugs to run their course through his body, and she wanted to make sure he was absolutely safe and out of harm's way. She also asked him if he wouldn't mind bringing some clean linens, blankets, food and coffee to the motel. The place wasn't exactly the Taj Mahal.  
  
"Just be careful, 99. From what the doctor told me about this drug, it can produce delusional flashbacks." The Chief knew 99 could handle herself, but because it was Max, he wondered if her judgement would be clouded if she had to restrain him, in case he became violent.  
  
"I know I'll have my hands full right now, Chief, but I'm the only one he trusts," 99 reasoned.  
  
"Ok, 99. Oh, and you should know that the security guard that Max shot will pull through. Luckily, the bullet just grazed his side."  
  
99 gave a sigh of relief, "Thank God. That's one thing Max doesn't need --- murder charges being brought up against him."  
  
"Might have been easier to deal with than what he's going to go through. See you later, 99."  
  
99 hung up the phone and looked over at Max. He was starting to stir in the chair. She needed to get him into bed. 99 gently shook his shoulder, "Max, do you think you can help me get you up?"  
  
"Where we goin'?" Max asked, slurring his words with half-open eyes.  
  
"Over to the bed," 99 grunted, as she lifted his semi-limp body under her arms.  
  
"I hardly know you, Miss, but if you insist ..." Max said as he glared lustfully at her.  
  
99 just smiled at Max and got him over to the bed, where he collapsed onto his back. 99 leaned over him and began to undress him. First his shirt, then his pants. She thought he'd be more comfortable without clothes, especially when the night sweats started hitting him. She slipped Max under the blankets, put his head on the pillow, and dimmed the lights. She knew that the first wave of his withdrawals were going to hit soon, so she made him as comfortable as possible.  
  
"Joining me? Plenty of room in here," Max leered, as he patted the bed.  
  
"I think you should sleep now. Maybe later?" 99 winked.  
  
"Ok ... later ..." Max nodded, as he slipped off to sleep.  
  
99 watched Max sleep for a while, when there was a quiet knock at the door.  
  
"Who is it?" 99 asked against the door.  
  
"It's the Chief," came the reply from the other side.  
  
99 opened the door and the Chief walked in with the supplies she asked for over the phone.  
  
"How is he?" the Chief inquired, looking over at the sleeping Max.  
  
"He's coming down off his last hit. But his body is going to start craving that drug again, and when he doesn't get it, its going to be rough."  
  
"Don't you think he should be in the hospital where they can handle him, 99?" the Chief asked.  
  
"Chief, he's been through so much. He needs someone that's going to help him through this rough stretch, someone he trusts."  
  
The Chief nodded. He agreed that 99 would be the best candidate, but again worried if something should happen. "Just call me, if you need help."  
  
"I will," 99 said, as she hugged the Chief.  
  
After the Chief left, 99 sat in the armchair, just staring at Max. Knowing that the withdrawals would hit him soon, she needed to sleep now, while she could.  
  
It wasn't very long after she started to doze off that he began screaming. Max awoke in pain. It spread into his muscles and bones, pounding in his skull and shooting through his spine. Every part of him hurt at the least provocation, and soon he was writhing on the bed in his agony. His system wanted that drug.  
  
"arrrrggggggg," Max moaned through gritted teeth.  
  
99 was quickly on the bed, holding him and trying to calm him.  
  
"I need it ... Please, just one pill ..." Max pleaded weakly. "Oh God, please ... just one ..."  
  
"There are no more pills, Max," 99 told him firmly.  
  
That wasn't the answer he wanted to hear as he began to thrash around, trying to get up. He fought against her hold with all the strength his body had, but eventually gave into it and gave up the fight. Exhausted, Max lay in the bed breathing hard and moaning.  
  
"I promise you, I'll be with you all the way," she whispered in his ear and stroked his forehead. "It's my turn to protect you now." She closed her own eyes. "I hope you'll let me."  
  
After Max settled down, she got up and walked toward the table. Max followed her with his eyes as far as he could and then finally closed them. He started to hear the voices in his head, as they told him he was a bad person and not worthy of love or kindness, like this woman was giving him. They taunted him in his head until he could barely take it. They pushed him back and forth and back again until he didn't know where he belonged anymore. Before she knew it, he was yelling out in fear and pain. 99 was back, holding him and trying to calm him. He cried for another hour, asked her to kill him and put him out of his misery then finally fell asleep.  
  
For the next two days, 99 went through hell with Max. Seeing him struggle and in constant pain, battling his addiction, took its toll on her. She was exhausted, only resting when he slept, but not for any long periods of time. 99 carried the basin of tepid water to the bathroom, and refilled it with cool water. She stretched slowly, longing for sleep but too worried to do so, even if she could allow herself the luxury. She started to think the Chief was right, that she needed help and couldn't handle him anymore. 99 tried holding back the tears, but failed. They streamed down her cheek and soaked her sweater. She rubbed her hands across her face and head and tried to control herself. She had to stay in control. She was the only one in control, after all. Max needed her now more then ever before. She was convinced that she was the only one who could really help him.  
  
For twelve hours straight, it was one nightmare after Another.  
  
"Please ... no ... don't ...," Max whimpered. The images filling his mind were cold and cruel, threatening him with every torture imaginable. He'd awakened several times, distraught and confused, half demanding and half pleading that they leave him alone.  
  
At one point, Max was awake, exhausted beyond empty, and looked woefully up at 99. "Water?" he asked in a horse voice.  
  
"Yes, Max, I'll go get you some," 99 answered, still crying silently. Max could only nod in response, finding it too difficult to say anything.  
  
99 re-entered the room, clutching a glass tightly in her hand. She helped Max sit up slowly, and bit her lip when Max let out a low growl of pain.  
  
"Max, tell me what you're feeling?"  
  
Max said nothing. All he could feel was the room spinning around --- his stomach churning, his body shaking. He broke out into a cold sweat as 99 helped tip the glass to his lips. He took only a sip when, at that point, he had to close his eyes. Even the dimmed lights in the room were just too much for him to handle.  
  
99 continued to nurse Max in her arms, wiping the wash cloth over his face. She prayed to anyone above that was listening, to please let Max pull through this ordeal. Still the tears poured down her face. She was unable to stop them. The man she loved was lying in her arms, in real pain, and there was nothing she could do about it.  
  
Readjusting the washcloth on Max's forehead, she could feel the heat radiating off his head. Max was well into his third day of withdrawals when a horrendous fever struck him. 99 drew in a sharp breath, "Oh God, he's burning up. How much more of this can he take?" she thought to herself. The chills and sweating were constant. Then the fever dreams hit him. At first 99 tried to soothe him with her touch or her voice, answering when he called her name; and, at first, it seemed to work. For a few moments he would relax, his fists and jaw unclenched. But eventually, he slipped past the point where her voice could comfort him. Responding instead as if she were calling for him, he would shout demands to know where she was, to have her returned to him.  
  
"NO! You're not going to take her away!" he called out, his arms wildly swinging at an invisible force. "You're not going to take her. Get away from her! ... 99, get away! RUN, 99, RUN!!"  
  
"MAX, MAX!" 99 yelled out over the screams. "It's all right ... shhhh ... I'm not going anywhere." 99 held Max's arms down, and repeated her assurances over and over again, hoping it would calm him.  
  
"It's ok, Max. Shhh. I love you; I'll never leave you. Never." Something in her voice reassured him that she was ok and, with an incoherent mumble, Max sank back into a thankfully dreamless sleep.  
  
With his fever still rising, 99 needed to cool his body down. Taking the blankets off, she made cool compresses and placed them on different spots of his body. But when he began to shiver violently, 99 stopped. His teeth were chattering and he curled into a ball reflexively, attempting to preserve as much heat as he could. 99 thought for a moment about how she could possibly help keep him warm. In the movies, it was usually body heat, she thought with a snicker. But, science could actually back her on that one, so she thought no more. She quickly undressed herself, and slid her soft, warm body up against his, holding him close. She didn't allow her embarrassment to intrude. Drawing the blankets up around them she held his shivering body around her arms. She slowly moved her arms and legs, rubbing her flesh onto his, generating as much warmth as she could, without disturbing him. It seemed to work effectively as she, herself, melted in the warmth of their union. It wasn't long before they both drifted off into a cozy sleep.  
  
Max opened his eyes a slit and looked around the room. Morning had come, his fever had broken and he actually felt better. Weak, but better. He moaned and shifted, trying to roll onto his stomach, but something was keeping him in place. Max felt the movement beside him, as he realized he wasn't alone in the bed. Then his eyes grew wide open. Gripping the blanket, he pulled it from his shoulder and looked down. He was completely naked and there was an arm around his waist, curling over his stomach from behind. "Oh God ...," he muttered, freezing up. He looked around confused, and tried to remember the events from last night but realized everything was a blur.  
  
He carefully reached down and lifted the arm, sliding it off him and looked over his shoulder. A dark brown head was resting against his bare back, soft warm breath against his skin. A soft, feminine sigh emitted from the form and the head moved, mouth pressing against his shoulderblade.  
  
The body behind him again moved slightly, the arm going back over his waist.  
  
Max carefully shifted onto his back and raised himself on both elbows, gazing down at the woman beside him.  
  
Slender shoulders, sculpted lips, and beautiful long brown hair greeted his awakening. 99 was in his bed. And ... Max raised the covers slightly and then hastily lowered them ... as exposed as he was.  
  
" 99 ...," Max whispered. "99, wake up."  
  
99 slowly opened her eyes to find Max staring right at her. She smiled with a sleepy grin but then realized the compromising position she was in.  
  
"Max, ohhhh, ahhhhh," 99 stumbled, as she brought the covers up around her neck. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"I don't know. You tell me," Max said as he shot a look at her arm still around his waist.  
  
99 quickly removed her arm and slid over to the other side of the bed.  
  
"You're probably wondering about all this ...," 99 started to explain. Max just waited for her to continue with a grin.  
  
"You've been going through withdrawals for the last three days. Nightmares, pain and a high fever. You needed the extra warmth ..."  
  
Max leaned on his arm and just stared at 99.  
  
"If you're expecting something more to this explanation ... that's all there is. Nothing happened. I was just trying to keep you ..."  
  
Max smiled and lay back down.  
  
"Ok, believe what you want," 99 said, as she started to retreat off the bed, keeping covered the best she could.  
  
But before she could leave, Max grabbed onto her arm. "Wait, 99. Don't go. Of course I believe you. You've only been trying to help me. In fact, you saved my life," Max said with genuine sincerity. "I know I haven't said it before, but I will now. 99, ... I love you." Max brought her back next to him and closely snuggled his body next to hers. His arms wrapped lovingly around her body as he leaned over and softly kissed her lips. 99 closed her eyes and savored the moment. Both were contented to lie in each other's arms for as long as time would allow.  
  
THE END 


End file.
